Hospital apologises to man whose leg was amputated after angiogram

Apr 6, 2019

Letterkenny University Hospital has apologised in the High Court to a man whose leg had to be amputated after he went into hospital for an angiogram.

In the letter to 77-year-old Hugh McElroy, a retired construction worker from Burtonport in Co Donegal, the hospital’s general manager said the care afforded to him in 2014 and 2015 was not to a standard that they would have hoped or expected.

Sean Murphy told Mr McElroy that he apologised unreservedly for the quality of care he received and acknowledged the devastating impact this had on his life.

He said he recognised that nothing he or any of the team could say could make up for the impact on Mr McElroy’s quality of life and on his family.

Mr McElroy went into Letterkenny University Hospital in September 2014 for an angiogram – a procedure where a tube is inserted into the groin and threaded up to the heart to check the blood vessels.

He developed a blood clot at the site where the angiogram had been inserted and was readmitted to hospital in Letterkenny where his condition worsened.

He and his family claimed he did not receive proper medical attention and was not treated appropriately.

By the time he was transferred to University Hospital Galway, on 14 October 2014, he was in poor condition and had to undergo surgery.

He subsequently underwent further surgeries and treatment. But in September 2015, a decision was made to amputate his leg.

Details of the settlement made with Mr McElroy were not revealed in court.

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